Armed with my senior persons’ bus pass and a day to myself, I planned a route out to the west.
Primarily, I wanted to revisit the Class 139, Parry People Mover branch line train from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town. At 0.8 miles long, this is the shortest railway line in the UK.
I had visited this diddy train a few years ago but after having seen it, recently, on an episode of All The Stations, i felt the need to go and take another look.
Obviously, as I was travelling on my bus pass, I couldn’t go anywhere until half nine but at 09:32 I was on the 94 bus heading towards Birmingham city centre.
In ‘town’ I walked the third of a mile to Moor Street station from where I caught the 10:27 to Worcester Fore Street calling at, amongst others, Stourbridge Junction.
The train arrived on time and crossed under the city stopping at Snow Hill station before continuing it’s journey.
As the train pulled into Stourbridge junction, I couldn’t see, on the adjacent platform, my connecting service also pulling in.
Alighting from the big train, I took the steps down to cross over before ascending to platform 1 where the 139 was waiting. I got on board and sat on one of the twenty five seats ready for the three minute ride.
As I sat there, I glanced up at the notices / adverts and noticed this one …
.. very apt, I thought as this is what had inspired me today.
A short walk took me from the train station to the bus station. I had seven minutes but managed to grab an Adventure Lab en route.
I needn’t have hurried as the 125 bus was five minutes late arriving (and didn’t really make it back).
The Diamond Bus 125 whisked us off through Stourbridge before heading out into the countryside to Kidderminster, passing the Severn Vally Railway station before a brief call at Kiddie’s bus depot.
From here, the bus would follow the Severn Valley, roughly following the railway passing the Safari Park, Bewdly, Highley, Eardington to finally arrive at Bridgnorth.
I did miss one great phot op as we crossed over the railway line at Eardington but maybe next time ?
The bus arrived in Bridgnorth a few minutes late and there were a number of others waiting. One, Arriva, bus bearing the number 9 but with a destination that wasn’t Wolverhampton stood there with doors open. I was running short on time so asked the driver from where I could catch the 9 to Wolverhampton.
He looked at me a little strangely before realising that he had failed to change the bus signage – This was my bus.
I climbed on, swiped my pass, and found a seat with a view.
The little bus moved off, passing through the busy town centre then down the hill to Low Town, passing the lower station of the Cliff Railway.
The bus was soon out in the countryside and about fifty minutes after leaving Bridgnorth rolled into Wolverhampton bus station.
After a brief comfort break, I made my way to the nearby railway station. Trains to Birmingham depart every ten to fifteen minutes but chose a service that went via Tame Bridge Parkway on the Walsall line.
The only other time I’ve been on this section was behind a steam charter so I’m guessing that the link from Wolverhampton to Walsall is now reopen although trains to Walsall were still going through Birmingham.
After passing all the sidings of Bescott we stopped briefly at Tame Bridge before continuing to Birmingham.
At New Street, I exited the station and made my way to the LEGO shop where I bought a load of white plates from the pick-a-brick wall (for the next winter village) before catching my last bus of the day to take me home.